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p16_Layout 1 3/4/15 8:56 PM Page 1 THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015 SPORTS Michael Phelps in action in this file photo. USA Swimming may let Phelps race at world championships NEW YORK: Michael Phelps may be handed a the meet in Russia. 100m butterfly and 200m medley. He could charged with a drink driving offence in comments on whether Phelps could be chance to compete at this year’s world cham- “It’s complicated, but there are ways in also expect to be selected for three relays. December. cleared to swim in Kazan but one of his long- pionships in Russia once he completes his sus- which it could happen,” Wielgus said. “There’s a Phelps announced he was quitting the Phelps was given a one-year suspended time team mates, Natalie Coughlin, told pension for a drink driving conviction, a pathway for things to be reconsidered... or sport following the 2012 London Olympics prison term and sentenced to 18-months of ESPN he had served a long enough penalty. United States Swimming official said on considered.” after he signed off with a record tally of 18 supervised probation. He was also banned “Not only do world championships fall out- Tuesday. Phelps’s six-month ban from compe- Phelps has yet to comment publicly on gold medals dating back to Athens 2004. from drinking alcohol and ordered to attend side the six-month suspension but it also tition ends in April. As part of his punishment, whether or not he might swim in Russia but is However, he had a change of heart last year an addiction treatment centre. He apologised punishes his team mates, particularly those USA Swimming also banned him from attend- expected to make his comeback at a US Grand and decided to get back in the pool and set for drink driving and promised to make that would share a relay spot with him,” ing the global championships in Kazan in early Prix meet in Arizona next month. his sights on the 2016 Rio Olympics. amends. Last month, he announced his Coughlin wrote in a text message to ESPN. August. However, USA Swimming executive The 29-year-old has already qualified for This year’s world championships were sup- engagement to Nicole Johnson, a former Miss “We always want to have the best people director Chuck Wielgus told ESPN.com that the American world championships team in posed to form a major part of his preparations California USA. racing and he has proven himself to be the Phelps may yet be allowed to participate at three individual events: 100 metres freestyle, but his plans were ruined when he was USA Swimming did not make any official best, time after time.” —Reuters Drug scandal, player behavior mire NRL season SYDNEY: Australia’s National Rugby they have made Test star Greg Inglis the League season kicks off today with South new skipper. Sydney Rabbitohs opening the defence of “I think the way the combinations are their title amid a damaging drugs scandal starting to gel, as we saw overseas, we’ve blighting the sport and all-too-common got some difference about us as a team player behavior issues. now,” coach Michael Maguire said. The lead-up to the new season has been “Everyone has sort of spoken about how mired by a cocaine scandal that has we play this game through the middle and engulfed the Gold Coast Titans with five I guess (how) we played a certain way. “But current players facing court along with for- for us, we know what we can do and it’s mer NRL and current Queensland Reds about going about it.” Super Rugby star Karmichael Hunt. Titans coach Neil Henry did not name UNDER PRESSURE any of the five charged players, including The Rabbitohs will go into today’s sea- representative forwards Greg Bird and son opener against the Broncos in Brisbane Dave Taylor, in the team to play in as winners of the Auckland Nines and the Saturday’s season opener against Wests World Club Challenge (WCC) over St Tigers. If that wasn’t enough unwanted Helens. Since the WCC was switched to a publicity, champion club Souths were fined February pre-season date, no Australian Aus$20,000 ($15,500) by the NRL following side has gone on to win the NRL an investigation into an incident in the Premiership that same season. United States involving two of their players. Another significant departure is code- Former club captain John Sutton and hopper Sonny Bill Williams’ return from the English forward Luke Burgess spent the Sydney Roosters to the Waikato Chiefs in night behind bars during the team’s trip to Super Rugby. South Sydney and Sydney Arizona for a training camp in November Roosters are the bookmakers’ joint after they were ejected from a bar. favourites to win this season’s title ahead of Both players were charged with “disor- Canterbury, Brisbane, North Queensland derly conduct, fighting”, a misdemeanour and Penrith. offence, while Burgess was also hit with an Master coach Wayne Bennett has assault charge, media reports said. returned to Brisbane-six years after the sev- Lewis Hamilton in action in this file photo. Sutton was dumped as Souths captain en-time Premiership-winning coach left the and Burgess, the brother of English interna- Broncos for St George Illawarra and his last tionals Sam and George Burgess, made an club Newcastle Knights. off-season switch to Manly in January. Manly, who have qualified for the last 10 Hamilton seeks greater dominance The Rabbitohs are bidding to become successive finals series, are under pressure the first side since the Brisbane Broncos in following the off-season exits of forwards LONDON: Formula One world champion Lewis to try and dominate even more.” Mercedes won about, it’s to be racing with everyone,” he added. 1992-93 to successfully defend the title in a Anthony Watmough, Stewart and Jason Hamilton is hoping his Mercedes team will be both titles last year, with Hamilton winning 11 “The more people the merrier... if the cars are non-Super League season, but they will King. The other unknown for Manly is what even more dominant this season even if he also races and German team mate Nico Rosberg five close you can have real races where you’re over- have to do it without Sam Burgess, who has impact the saga surrounding off-contract wants rivals to give him more of a challenge. of the 19. taking and battling and that’s what I love doing.” switched to rugby union with Bath. halves duo Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry- “I think 2014 was definitely one of the best, if Hamilton, who was fighting a bug in testing Hamilton, who is negotiating a new contract Burgess was the NRL’s most influential Evans will have on the Sea Eagles team not the best year of my career,” the Briton told last week, said he felt very relaxed, fit and ready with Mercedes, is aiming for his third champi- player last year and claimed the Clive morale. Missing from the season will be laureus.com yesterday. to race. “I will plan to drive as good as I did last onship this year and reckoned he would have Churchill medal in Souths’ first champi- New South Wales State of Origin star Jarryd “Even though we were at the front of the field year but I want to be better,” he said. time to challenge for plenty more. onship title in 43 years in their grand final Hayne who quit the NRL to take up a rookie the majority of the time, the leader of the pack “I really like to race. Particularly with the chal- “I think if I’m lucky enough to be able to get victory over Canterbury. contract with American football team San and ahead of others, it was still a challenge with- lenge of other teams, because there’s always to live out my whole Formula One career then - Souths have changed their big forward Francisco 49ers. His departure is a blow for in us to try and improve all the time. strengths and weaknesses of another driver and I’ve just turned 30 - I think I’ve got a good seven, emphasis by recruiting ball-playing back- his Parramatta Eels club’s chances in this “But we want to be better this year, we want another team so I love that. That’s what racing’s eight years left in me,” he said. —Reuters rower Glenn Stewart from Manly, while season’s competition.—AFP Next job for Ryder Cup task force? Repair damage to tour DORAL: Now that players on the task force Phil Mickelson, however, made them Butler doesn’t understand the concept of a have solved their Ryder Cup problems, the sound like second-class citizens when he head start, not when only 30 Americans are at next job is to repair damage to their own tour. eagerly explained the reasoning. He men- Doral, and that’s the highest US representa- One week ago, Davis Love III was intro- tioned how top players would be competing tion of all the WGCs. duced as the next U.S. captain for the 2016 just about every week this summer through Justin Thomas isn’t in them. Neither is matches at Hazeltine. That was the decision two majors, a WGC, the FedEx Cup playoffs Daniel Berger, who lost in a playoff at the from an 11-member Ryder Cup Task Force - and the Presidents Cup, and then they would Honda Classic.